Physiotherapy Theory and Practice

An International Journal of Physical Therapy

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Exploring the workplace mentorship needs of new-

graduate physiotherapists: a qualitative study

Andrew Lao, Sarah Wilesmith & Roma Forbes

To cite this article: Andrew Lao, Sarah Wilesmith & Roma Forbes (2021): Exploring the workplace
mentorship needs of new-graduate physiotherapists: a qualitative study, Physiotherapy Theory and
Practice, DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2021.1917023

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2021.1917023

Published online: 21 Apr 2021.

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PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE
https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2021.1917023

Exploring the workplace mentorship needs of new-graduate physiotherapists: a

qualitative study
Andrew Lao PT, Sarah Wilesmith PT, and Roma Forbes PT
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Background: Mentorship plays an important role in an individuals’ transition into the workforce, Received 28 November 2019
yet little is known of new-graduates experiences of workplace mentorship. The aim of this study Revised 9 December 2020
was to explore new-graduate physiotherapists’ experiences of mentorship during their transition Accepted 14 March 2021
into professional practice in Australia. KEYWORDS
Method: A qualitative study with an interpretive phenomenological analytical approach was used. New-graduate;
Semi-structured interviews of fifteen employed new-graduate physical therapists were undertaken physiotherapist; mentorship;
within their first three to six months of clinical practice. support
Results: Four key themes emerged from the data: 1) Advantages of individualized mentorship; 2)
Supporting the needs of professional development through mentorship; 3) Mentorship is valued by
new-graduate employees; and 4) Mentorship moderates perceptions of stress and anxiety.
Conclusions: New-graduate physiotherapists perceive workplace mentorship as a critical factor
during the transition from student to clinician, which extends to the broader workplace. New-
graduates place a strong value on individualized mentorship to support their professional devel­
opment, which can influence self-perceived stress and anxiety and their perception of the
workplace.

Introduction between one or more senior mentors and a mentee,

The role of the physiotherapist is becoming increasingly
diverse and complex beyond the rehabilitation space
(Peretti et al., 2017). As such, new-graduate physiothera­
pists require a broad range of skills to transition into
contemporary clinical settings. Despite being expected
to assimilate by rapidly “learning the ropes” of the work­
place (Hayward et al., 2013), new-graduates report gaps
in communication, problem-solving skills and difficulty
coping with the demands of the workplace environment
(Hunt, Adamson, and Harris, 1998; Wells et al., 2017).
Similarly, employers have reported that new-graduates
are challenged with decision-making under pressure and
may lack skills in communication, time management
and managing populations with complex needs (Adam,
Peters, and Chipchase, 2013; Wells et al., 2017).
A recommendation for the preparation and retention
of health professionals is proposed to begin with the
new-graduate; the importance of a dedicated mentor,
in conjunction with mentorship that sets the stage for
“ongoing and mutually beneficial relationships” (Block,
2016). The mentor, in this community of practice, plays
an important role in the domain, community and prac­
tice of clinical knowledge (Wegner, 1998). Within health
settings, mentorship refers to a dynamic relationship
where knowledge and clinical perspectives are shared
either formally or informally in order to promote pro­
fessional development (Yonge, Myrick, Ferguson, and
Luhanga, 2012). By helping the new-graduate reflect,
make sense of challenging clinical interactions, and by
providing affirmation of their experiences, the mentor
can bridge the gap between knowledge and skills
attained during study and clinical practice (Northcott,
2000). The importance of individualizing such relation­
ships is reflected in the varying development rates
between individuals, with this journey often described
as “stages” rather than a set timeline as outlined in the
Stages of Transition Theory (Duchscher, 2008).
Duchscher (2008) described that the new-graduate
experiences three distinct stages of: 1) “doing”; 2)
“being”; and 3) “knowing,” typically occurring during
the first three months up toward the tenth month of
their transition into the workforce. The progression
from each stage requires the new-graduate to actively
reconcile their internal beliefs, identity, and perceptions
about becoming an independent clinician with profes­
sional relationships facilitating each progression. Such
relationships are also important at initial employment as
the greatest acquisition of clinical competency for new

CONTACT Roma Forbes r.forbes2@uq.edu.au School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia
© 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 A. LAO ET AL.
graduates has been identified to occur within the third to
sixth month of employment (Cheng, Tsai, Chang, and
Liou, 2014).
In recent Australian-based research, new-graduate
physiotherapists were found to highly value supportive
colleagues and acknowledged the importance of men­
tors who provided professional development initiatives
(Atkinson and McElroy, 2016; Forbes, Lao, Wilesmith,
and Martin, 2020). Engaging in mentorship with collea­
gues with a different scope of practice has been described
as important in creating an environment conducive for
health professionals to practice (Greene and Puetzer,
2002). Wainwright, Shepard, Harman, and Stephens
(2011) described how relationships with a range of men­
tors can facilitate effective communication, commitment
to learning and clinical confidence. The roles of these
relationships are consistent with international research
which has identified clinical interactions with mentors
and coworkers as some of the richest sources of work­
place learning for new-graduate physiotherapists (Black
et al., 2010; Forbes, Lao, Wilesmith, and Martin, 2020).
Within other health settings, mentorship can enhance
communication specific to the clinical environment
(Jacobs, 2017) and contribute to staff retention
(Dunham-Taylor et al., 2008). However, there is a lack
of consensus regarding the most effective form of men­
torship. In medical student literature, Carthas and
McDonnell (2013) reported that structured, scheduled
time for mentorship to be successful while others have
demonstrated a preference for a flexible structure to
mentorship (Mehta, Flint, Jahangir, and Browner,
2009; Soklaridis et al., 2015).
New-graduate support through mentorship may have
important implications for the wider profession.
Physiotherapists report high levels of stress, anxiety,
and burnout within as little as five years into their
careers (Hunt, Adamson, and Harris, 1998; Solomon
and Miller, 2005). In addition, new-graduate phy­
siotherapists have also reported insufficient professional
support and continuing professional development
opportunities within their workplaces (Mulcahy, Jones,
Strauss, and Cooper, 2010). Concerningly, these factors
have been suggested to contribute to high attrition rates
within the profession (Pretorius, Karunaratne, and
Fehring, 2015).
Despite concerns relating to new-graduate phy­
siotherapist preparedness for professional practice, lim­
ited research has investigated their experiences during
this transition to practice. Furthermore, it is challenging
to guide mentors or mentorship programs when the
views and perspectives of new-graduates are largely
unknown. Exploring new-graduate physiotherapists’
experiences of mentorship would provide invaluable
insight for training programs, employers and the profes­
sion to aid the workplace transition of new-graduates
and provide knowledge toward actions which may
address the early attrition issues faced within this field.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate new-
graduate physiotherapists’ experiences of mentorship
during their transition to professional practice in
Australia.
Methodology
Design
A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach
was used to investigate new-graduate physiotherapists’
experiences of mentorship during their transition into
the workplace. This study was approved by University of
Queensland – Institutional Human Research Ethics,
approval number 2,009,001,668, and was part of
a wider project that also investigated new graduate pre­
ferences for mentoring that has been reported (Forbes,
Lao, Wilesmith, and Martin, 2020).
Participants
A convenience sample of 165 new-graduate phy­
siotherapists were invited to participate at the comple­
tion of their professional studies during a lecture onsite
at the University of Queensland in December, 2018.
Prospective participants were invited to complete con­
sent to contact forms by providing age, gender, program
of study and e-mail addresses for contact. To be con­
sidered for the study, participants must have met all
requirements to complete their entry-level program,
either through an undergraduate or Masters entry pro­
gram at the University of Queensland and be actively
employed in the workforce with less than 12 months of
total work experience as a registered physiotherapist.
The undergraduate entry program is a 4-year full-time
degree consisting of three years of curriculum teaching
and 20–25 weeks of clinical placements. The Masters’
entry program is a two-year full-time equivalent degree
with 20 weeks of clinical placements and requires the
attainment of a previous undergraduate degree.
To allow for the accumulation of clinical experience,
an e-mail was sent to those participants who had con­
sented to be contacted in April 2019 (Figure 1).
Participants who responded to this initial e-mail
(n = 27) were grouped according to age, gender and
entry-level program (Bachelor or Masters). Each was
then assigned a number, before a computerized random
number generator was used to determine the order in
which sequential e-mail contact was made. The first 15

Figure 1. Timeline of overall methodology.
that replied and consented to be interviewed were then
selected, while remaining potential participants were
informed via e-mail that participation may not be
required. A responding e-mail was then sent to confirm
a mutually convenient time for interviewing before final
verbal consent was obtained at the beginning of the
interview. To capture a range of participants’ experi­
ences and conduct a thorough interpretive phenomen­
ological analysis (Smith, Flower, and Larkin, 2009), 15
participants were recruited initially with further recruit­
ment considered following analysis if data saturation
was not reached. To reduce researcher bias, the lead
author (AL) conducted a final check of the participants
to ensure those being interviewed were not personally
known to the interviewer.
Interview procedure
A semi-structured interview guide was developed by the
research team following a review of the literature to
explore experiences, with a greater emphasis on topics
of preparedness to practice, the structure and role of
workplace mentorship, personal and professional devel­
opment, and perceived levels of support in the context of
the participant’s workplace (Appendix).
All semi-structured interviews were conducted over
the telephone (n = 15) and simultaneously audio
recorded on a second electronic device. Open-ended
questions (Appendix) were posed to allow the partici­
pant to establish the meaning and experience of mentor­
ship within their workplace context (Britten, 1995), with
probing questions to further investigate the topic (Payne
and Payne, 2004). Interviews ranged from 16 to 39 min­
utes (mean = 24 minutes) and were transcribed verbatim
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE 3
in addition to field notes recorded by the researcher. All
interviews were conducted between April and June 2019
with an aim to capture participant perceptions of work­
place mentorship around their third to sixth month of
employment. This also provided an opportunity to cap­
ture data from participants after the initial period of the
“doing” stage of transition (Duchscher, 2008). This was
located where new graduates have reconciled the transi­
tional shock between their personal expectations with
the reality of clinical practice and may be more settled in
their responsibility as a clinician who begins to apply
practical meaning behind theoretical knowledge during
this new learning stage of “being” (Duchscher, 2008).
Interviews were conducted by the primary researcher
(AL), with reference to the interview guide (Appendix)
to ensure appropriate depth of responses was achieved
(DeJonckheere and Vaughn, 2019). Regular meetings
were held by the research team to review and restructure
the interview guide after every third participant. To
maintain integrity of the interview framework and
allow direction with the data, this involved selectively
exploring topics and questions which lacked data from
previous interviews. Interviews were discontinued when
no further themes, ideas or issues were identified.
Data analysis
Interview data were examined through an interpretative
phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach (Smith,
Flower, and Larkin, 2009). As a relatively small, homo­
genous group was examined, IPA was selected as it
allowed detailed examination of each participant’s per­
ception of mentorship (empathetic hermeneutics) while
also allowing critical questioning of participant
4 A. LAO ET AL.

responses (questioning hermeneutics) (Smith and Table 1. Participant demographic information.

Shinebourne, 2012). By aiming to adopt an insider’s n (%)
perspective, this form of analysis aimed to understand Gender
Female 9 (60)
meaning behind each participant’s experience and their Male 6 (40)
perception behind workplace mentorship and observe Physiotherapy Degree
Bachelor Entry 13 (86.67)
their process of “analysing, illuminating, and making Masters Entry 2(13.33)
sense of something” (Smith, Flowers, and Larkin, Employment setting
Public Hospital: Full-time 3 (20)
2009). Data analysis followed the framework guide initi­ Public Hospital: Part-time 1 (6.67)
ally described by the founders of IPA (Smith, Flowers, Private Hospital: Full-time 1 (6.67)
and Larkin, 2009); the lead researcher (AL) immersed Private Practice 10 (66.66)

himself in the data by working through each interview

transcript, adding initial notes throughout the scripts.
Notes with similar ideas were integrated and developed
into themes before searching for connections between
emerging themes. Patterns in themes were categorized,
while continuing exploration of new or convergence of
themes. Documenting all steps in the data analysis pro­
cess allowed a rigorous and transparent process to mini­
mize the researcher’s preconceptions. The lead
researcher also underwent a process of epoche by doc­
umenting any beliefs, opinions, or notion behind the
phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994). This process was
repeated independently by the second researcher (RF),
before all coding and themes were compared through
investigator triangulation to aid credibility. Regular
meetings were held by the research team to synthesize
differences in interpretation of the data and resolve
differences through open discussion of generated codes
and themes. Member checks were undertaken by return­
ing written transcripts and related interview memos to
all participants. This provided an opportunity to review
and correct any errors or potential misinterpretation
from the raw data before any subsequent analysis to
maintain dependability. To allow verification and trust­
worthiness of these data and subsequent analysis, two
qualitative researchers were consulted to review the
analytical procedures to confirm appropriateness of
data interpretation. To further aid confirmability, the
research team consulted two new-graduate employers
and mentors across two settings (public hospital and
private practice) for feedback on coding and generated
themes during the analysis and the selection of illustra­
tive quotes to reflect themes.
Results
Seventy-nine participants provided written consent for
interviewing (response rate 52.7%). The mean age of
interview participants was 25 years (Range 22–33);
with a larger representation of bachelor program parti­
cipants (n = 13) compared to those from the Masters
program (n = 2) (Table 1). The demographics were
generally reflective of national physiotherapy workforce
demographics, with 10 participants (66%) employed
within the private sector and five (33%) based in
a public hospital setting, with female gender being 60%
(Department of Health, 2016). Months of employment
of participants ranged from 3.5 to 7 (mean = 5.8). Most
participants (n = 8) reported receiving mentorship that
was formally scheduled into their role (Table 2). Four
key themes were identified following data analysis: 1)

Table 2. De-identified participant interview details.

Participant number Employment status Program Age Employment Scheduled mentoring
Setting Scope of practice
1 FT Masters 27 PrP Musculoskeletal Yes
2 FT Bachelor 22 PuH Cardiorespiratory Yes
3 FT Masters 38 PrP Musculoskeletal No
4 PT Bachelor 22 PuH Rehabilitation No
5 FT Bachelor 23 PrP Musculoskeletal No
6 FT Bachelor 23 PrP Geriatric Yes
7 FT Bachelor 22 PuH Musculoskeletal Yes
8 FT Bachelor 23 PrP Musculoskeletal Yes
9 FT Bachelor 22 PrP Musculoskeletal No
10 FT Bachelor 23 PuH Orthopedics Yes
11 FT Bachelor 26 PrP Musculoskeletal Yes
12 FT Bachelor 26 PrP Geriatric No
13 FT Bachelor 23 PrH Rehabilitation No
14 FT Bachelor 22 PrP Musculoskeletal Yes
15 PT Bachelor 33 PrP Musculoskeletal No
PT- Part-time, FT – Full-time, PrP – Private Practice, PuH – Public Hospital, PrH – Private Hospital

Advantages of individualized mentorship; 2) Supporting
the needs of professional development through mentor­
ship; 3) Mentorship is valued by new-graduate employ­
ees; and 4) Mentorship moderates perceptions of stress
and anxiety.
Advantages of individualized mentorship
Participants strongly reflected a sense that mentorship
should first and foremost be individualized to their
perceived needs and learning style. Participants identi­
fied different areas of practice they felt needed most
support and different strategies that would best facilitate
their development.
“ . . . doing buddy sessions or joint treatment . . . that’s
something really helpful because it just makes you so
much more confident than continuing the treatment
yourself because someone has given you guidance”
(Participant 2)
“I don’t like to be over-mothered, I do like to have
responsibility . . . (the mentor is) really good that if there
are complex patients they will send out a page to tell you
where those patients are if you want them to help out. So
it’s on an as-needs basis.” (Participant 7)
Participants also described mentorship as providing
support that is consistent with their individual percep­
tions and expectations before, and when entering the
workforce. Thus, participants felt that standardized or
preplanned approaches to mentorship may not meet
their needs:
“ . . . when you first start off, there are definitely things
that you have questions about clinically and there’s no
point having the director telling you things you should
know about if it doesn’t answer your questions.”
(Participant 1)
Topics ranged from knowledge specific to the manage­
ment of patient clientele in clinic to administrative
aspects of private practice. Central to these immediate
and individualized sessions was an interaction that served
as “guidance” rather than a learning or teaching process:
“someone who is supportive but lets you figure it out for
yourself at the same time. So not jumping on everything
you do but happy to answer questions when you have
already looked it up”. (Participant 15)
The desire for an individualized approach to mentorship
also extended to a strong value placed on self-
development as a clinician and thus not being overly
reliant on a mentor. This need for self-determination
extended to the role and expectations of the mentor,
where participants valued opportunities to be given
space to learn on their own. This sentiment also included
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE 5
the amount of mentorship received, which they believed
should increase or decrease as their needs require:
“ . . . obviously you would have a few things to discuss
particularly in the early days but as the years progress you
have less and less points in the weeks where you have to
put an asterisk and ask the mentor) about that . . . at this
stage yeah a bit more mentorship time would be handy
but over the course of the year it should be more than
enough.” (Participant 3)
Supporting the needs of professional development
through mentorship
Central to the different forms of mentorship experi­
enced was the need for ongoing support in personal
and professional development within the workplace.
A concern voiced by participants was the transition to
the role of a professional clinician and the associated
change in identity. When asked how they navigated this
issue, participants described the need for mentorship
that orientated them to the wider workplace and team
and that was delivered in a way that instilled confidence
to evolve into a position as a contributing team member:
“I think the most important thing in my clinic is that I get
answers for whatever questions I ask. I tend to pose
questions I am uncomfortable with so getting those
answers helps my clinical skills.” (Participant 1)
One participant shared the experience of working in an
interprofessional environment which contributed to
a sense of value and community within their workplace.
In their role, their view of mentorship was through
a range of health professionals, which complemented
the professional development they were receiving
through their formally assigned mentor:
“I do a lot of joint sessions with the speech pathologist and
the occupational therapist. It definitely helps having them
around, they always have little tricks and things with how
to communicate with kids or things they need to work on
and stuff like that, things that I need to work on to help
with in that session.” (Participant 9)
Mentorship is valued by new-graduate employees
Participants shared similar feelings and perspectives
regarding mentorship and its influence in where they
desired to work. Some participants prioritized work­
place culture in their job searching and applications;
specifically, the reputation, willingness and openness
for workplace colleagues to be supportive of not just
new-graduates, but for each other:
6 A. LAO ET AL.
“Probably one of the reasons why I chose the workplace
was the reputation of the culture was really supportive, it
was really team based, everything is kind of looking out
for each other and there is always people around to offer
help.” (Participant 10)
Participants acknowledged that there would be gaps in
their clinical skills during the transition to the work­
force, and therefore prioritized workplaces that pro­
vided new-graduate up-skilling during their
applications:
“I didn’t want to go somewhere where I would be treated
as a new employee who didn’t need any help. I really
knew I wanted and need a program that was specifically
designed to support new-graduates and new
employees.”(Participant 2)
Another participant described how mentorship has
formed a lasting impression. Not only did mentorship
support the participant’s desire to commit long term to
their new workplace, the participant felt empowered to
reciprocate this level of support further along within
their professional career:
“I think it has made me want to stay. I think heaps of
people have contributed to my development and I would
love to stay there to be able to do the same stuff.”
(Participant 10)
Encouragement and words of affirmation were common
actions by mentors which were described by new-
graduates to be valuable with consolidating their deci­
sion-making with clinical scenarios, particularly with
complex patients:
“ . . . with complex patients it’s just nice to have reassurance
that your plan is actually what the mentor would do . . .
ultimately I’d only have 20 weeks of prac so I wouldn’t have
said I would feel confident to go off on my own to treat
without bouncing my ideas off them”. (Participant 7)
Conversely, one participant reported a lack of “enthu­
siasm” from their mentor resulted in negative feelings
toward their long-term projection with the workplace:
“We had a new grad patient review every week but that
sort of died off . . . it looked like a bit of a chore to the
supervisors so they canned it . . . I think if that same little
support were provided by different individuals who were
a bit more keen and a better attitude to providing sup­
port, this definitely influences my attitude towards stay­
ing there.” (Participant 11)
Mentorship moderates perceptions of stress and
anxiety
Participants described how mentorship had assisted in
overcoming mental or emotional barriers in their
transition into their new setting. Participants reflected
that individual competency to practice as a clinician
must be achieved as soon as possible, which often
came with feelings of “stress”, something that was miti­
gated by effective mentoring:
“Mentorship is really good as far as not feeling too under
pressure or feeling like I’m going to burnout especially in
the first couple years where I suppose the expectation is
that we need to have all these skills and have all this
knowledge. So its taking that pressure off a little bit so we
can develop and mature in our practice, in our own
time”. (Participant 10)
Conversely, a perceived lack of input and support from
mentors led to feelings of stress and anxiety for some
participants. Another participant recalled how feelings
of stress, isolation and a poor relationship with their
mentor ultimately led to a decision to seek other
employment:
“I was starting to feel quite burnt out, this was going on
for a while like 2 to 3 weeks . . . he was basically saying it
was all on me for lack of time management, he wasn’t
very empathetic really . . . (I was)feeling like I needed to
work it out on my own.” (Participant 13).
“It gave me a lot of stress, I was very uncomfortable with
not having anyone to talk to, definitely I was actively
looking for another job while working there. It wasn’t
a field that I really wanted to be in.” (Participant 9)
One participant highlighted a difference in the level of
support when being employed in a part-time position.
Support was described as “sufficient”, however, it was
considered to only meet their workplace transition and
immediate clinical caseload needs to a minimal stan­
dard. This was a stark contrast to the immersive culture
centered on new-graduate learning that they perceived
to be delivered to their full-time colleagues.
“there is little professional development for me at this
stage . . . they just assume you’re coping and managing
and stuff . . . I do feel like I am getting support . . . however
sometimes I feels like I am only just scraping through.”
(Participant 4).
Discussion
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of
workplace mentorship from the new-graduate phy­
siotherapist during their transition to professional prac­
tice. Overall, the results have demonstrated that new-
graduates perceive mentorship as an important factor in
supporting their professional development and express
a need for support to be individualized to their perceived
needs. Mentorship not only influenced feelings of stress
and anxiety when transitioning into the workplace, but

it also impacted new-graduates’ perception of the value
of their workplace as an employer.
New-graduates strongly expressed the value of men­
torship that was not only limited to the interactions with
a designated mentor, but extended to colleagues and
other health professionals within the workplace. By
interacting with the extended workplace as a source of
support, the new-graduate is positioned to develop skill
and knowledge though a dynamic process of engage­
ment and negotiation of meaning and clinical experi­
ence (Ferguson, 2011; Wegner, 1998). This network also
acts to create a social identity within the wider structure
of professionals in their workplace as described in
Wegner’s (1998) communities of practice. These find­
ings are also consistent with Black et al. (2010) who
reported that novice physiotherapists were likely to
have increased confidence following positively perceived
interactions with other professionals within their
workplace.
Central to the views of new-graduates was a strong
preference for an individualized approach to mentor­
ship based on their perceived needs which generally
related to gaps in knowledge or skills. Many mentor­
ship programs and approaches are cited within the
literature, with little conclusive evidence that one
approach to mentoring is most effective (Carthas and
McDonnell, 2013; Mehta, Flint, Jahangir, and
Browner, 2009; Soklaridis et al., 2015). Results from
this study however favored flexibility in mentorship
based on the new-graduate’s perceived and immediate
needs. A preference for both informal, spontaneous
mentorship along with structured mentorship sessions
reflects a duality in approaches between mentor led
and those driven by the immediate needs of the new-
graduate (Ferguson, 2011). This highlights that there
may not be a one-size-fits-all style of mentorship and
that mentors should look to understand and accom­
modate for the individual needs of their new-graduate
employee within the individual context of the
workplace.
The specific mentoring content which new-graduates
perceived to be most relevant varied widely depending
on individual needs and clinical context. Where some
favored clinical skill development, others prioritized the
delivery of other workplace related skills such as time
management and patient scheduling. The perceived
need for assistance in time management was expressed
more widely by new-graduates working in private prac­
tice settings, as also recognized by private practice
employers (Wells et al., 2017). The results of our study
highlight where educators and employers may be able to
focus training needs to better assist new-graduates
entering the private sector, especially considering this
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE 7
is where most new-graduates are gaining employment in
the Australian setting (Health Workforce Australia,
2014).
The results have demonstrated that well-
implemented mentorship is valued by potential new-
graduate employees and job-seekers, which may have
a positive influence with new-graduates perceiving
a higher likelihood of long-term commitment. In other
health professions, positive relationships with colleagues
and a strong relationship from a mentor are known
determinants influencing a new-graduate’s intention to
remain employed (Tourangeau et al., 2010). Our study
also found that a lack of support perceived by new-
graduates led to a potential desire for workplace change;
this early change in workplace coupled with a lack of
support has been suggested in previous research to
potentially hinder the transition from student to clini­
cian (Tryssenaar and Perkins, 2001).
Feelings of fear, anxiety and stress are common
experiences for new-graduates which often precede the
development of clinical confidence and eventual trans­
formation into experienced clinical professionals
(Foster-Seargeant, 2001). In our findings, new-
graduates who perceived inadequate levels of mentor­
ship in the workplace described greater feelings of stress
and perceptions of being “overwhelmed”, as consistent
with the “doing” phase of transition (Duchscher, 2008).
These strong emotions are not an uncommon experi­
ence for the new-graduate. Tryssenaar and Perkins
(2001) outlined the new-graduate journey by stages of
“transition” and facing the “reality of practice” and it is
during these periods that new-graduates often describe
feelings of shock, fears of burnout and dismay about the
stress of work. The Stages of Transition Theory
(Duchscher, 2008), categorizes the first stage of entry
into professional practice with strong emotions or
“crises” during a period dominated by processes of dis­
covery, learning, performing, adjusting and accommo­
dating. This often culminates at an intersection between
a crisis of self-confidence and competence during prac­
tice. As the new-graduate overcomes this period during
the second stage, these “crises” tend to transition into
facilitators of their overall development. The transfor­
mation of the new-graduate through each stage of tran­
sition build on previous stages in a non-linear fashion
and are largely dictated by external factors (Duchscher,
2008). This is apparent within the results of the current
study where themes of needing individualized mentor­
ing reflect the early “doing” stage of participants, typi­
cally the first three to four months, where their focus
primarily relates to responsibilities toward their
immediate clinical workloads. This “doing” phase also
reflects themes around mentoring aimed to mediate
8 A. LAO ET AL.
high levels stress associated with the initial transition
into the clinical setting. Overall, our findings suggest
that effective mentorship may act to reduce the negative
implications of these initial “crises”. The potential of
mentorship to temper these crises is consistent with
research in other health professional settings where
new-graduates attribute reduced feelings of stress and
anxiety to having an active mentor (Marie Block,
Claffey, Korow, and McCaffrey, 2005). Our findings
support mentorship as a viable tool in assisting the social
transition of the new-graduate physiotherapist, whilst
recognizing that some feelings of stress and anxiety are
a natural experience on entry into the workplace.
Despite the transition to becoming a clinician as
relatively predictable for all new-graduates, the experi­
ences of each individual may differ across settings and
timing (Duchscher, 2008). In addition, the age and pre­
vious experiences of the new-graduate needs to be con­
sidered. The participant sample within the current study
were largely those from bachelor-entry programs with
a mean age of 25, reflective of Australian physiotherapy
training practice data (Health Workforce Australia,
2014). As new-graduates draw on multiple sources of
knowledge and life experiences (Bailey, 2004), it should
be highlighted that new-graduates from other countries
and programs that require previous qualifications and
those of an older demographic, may encounter a more
rapid or stable transition to the physiotherapy workforce
that reflects different needs from workplace mentoring.
Future research should aim to evaluate the specific
structures of dedicated mentorship programs in phy­
siotherapy to further understand the features that best
address new-graduate needs and aim to understand how
mentorship can minimize the potentially negative
experiences of workplace entry. In addition, research
should also consider the mentorship needs of new-
graduate health professionals who are employed in part-
time or casual appointments to ensure their ongoing
professional development.
Implications
The findings from this study supports that physiotherapy
workplaces should consider incentivizing mentorship, as
workplaces with clear mentorship practices may be more
highly attractive to new-graduates during recruitment and
may influence long-term commitment of employees.
Mentorship should be individualized where possible and
relevant to the new-graduate’s workload until professional
socialization is achieved (Duchscher, 2008), with mentor­
ship serving as a complementary guide in the new-
graduate’s journey (Yoon et al., 2017). Mentors and exist­
ing staff should also be supported with educational
resources and dedicated time within the clinical environ­
ment to ensure workplace transition support is achieved
(Yoon et al., 2017). Further research specific to the phy­
siotherapy setting is required to understand the perspec­
tives of those providing mentorship and its impact on
existing healthcare teams and the wider workforce.
Differences in informal and structured mentorship pro­
grams are largely unexplored within physiotherapy, how­
ever, investigating the effectiveness of new and existing
approaches is warranted to ensure workplaces can be
informed to best meet new-graduate learning and support
needs.
Strengths and limitations
The recruitment process and timeline of data collection
allowed for exploration of workplace mentorship and
support to be captured at a point where participants had
been employed for at least three months, but were still
within the twelve month Stages of Transition period
(Duchscher, 2008). The use of an interpretive phenom­
enological approach specifically allowed for the explora­
tion of an insider’s perspective into the new-graduate
experience in the early stages of their careers. Limiting
the study to 15 participants allowed for a range of
perspectives without compromising the depth and qual­
ity of each interview and subsequent data analysis
(Smith and Osborn, 2008).
Several limitations to the study must be considered.
Participants may have responded to interview questions
by giving answers they believe were helpful to the
researchers, increasing response bias. Despite
a disclaimer of anonymity, responses from participants
may not be an entirely true reflection of new-graduate
experiences, particularly if experiences were negative due
to the potentially sensitive nature of exploring employ­
ment. The use of phone interviews does not allow for
non-verbal behavior to be observed by the researcher.
This may limit the effectiveness of an IPA approach as
rapport could only be established verbally and may have
influenced participants’ willingness to share deep, perso­
nal experiences. Recruitment of participants was limited
to a single cohort at one tertiary institution which limits
the generalizability of this study to wider settings, parti­
cularly outside the Australian setting. This study only
considered mentorship interactions within the workplace
and did not consider formal or informal mentorship
relationships that new-graduates may receive outside of
their workplace setting which may have influenced transi­
tion to practice. Lastly, this study explored workplace
mentoring only from the mentee’s experience and does
not consider the perspectives of the mentor and their
challenges and potential lack of support from their

wider workplace (Billett, 2003). To truly establish the
perspective of the mentor or others involved in the new-
graduates transition to practice, a complete view of work­
place support provided cannot be achieved as not all
perspectives have been included.
Conclusion
Overall, this study has demonstrated that new-graduates
have a strong preference for individualized mentorship that
respects the new-graduates’ self-determination and
addresses perceived stress and anxiety associated with
entering the workplace. Mentorship was experienced as
a critical factor in socialization into the workplace and
extended beyond the relationship of just the mentor and
their mentee. Awareness of new-graduates needs from
mentorship to foster a successful transition to the work­
place can contribute to the effective integration of the new­
est members of the profession, and potentially enhance
their retention in practice and commitment to their
workplace.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
ORCID
Roma Forbes PT http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9959-3875
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Appendix: Semi-structured interview guide and
probing questions
Opening statement: Definition of mentorship described.
Questions:
Can you describe the culture and environment of your workplace?
What made you select your current workplace as somewhere you would
consider to work?
Can you tell me about how your workplace operates when you need
support?
How do you feel about the support you are currently receiving versus
what you need?
How do you feel about the role of mentorship with bridging the gap
between university and clinical practice?
How do you think mentorship affects your personal development?
How do you think mentorship affects your career pathway?
In an ideal scenario, regardless of workplace, what would ideal
mentoring or support consist of?
Describe what qualities the ideal mentor would have to support new-
graduates.
Probing Questions:
Was mentoring a consideration?
Who would be involved in delivering it?
What content would you prioritise?
How would it best be delivered?
How often is ideal as a new-graduate?
Could you give an example?